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Tooth
Colored Filling
Composite
The most simple form of 'white filling' is technically
called a Composite. It is made up of
a composite quartz resin and usually contains some sort of light sensitive
agent. These light cured composites are extremely cosmetic and most often bonded
into place in one appointment. For this reason, they are often referred to as
"bonding". They can be used in both the front of the mouth as well as
in your back teeth. These materials come in a variety of shades so that they
will match the color of your own teeth. Some of these composite materials have
been specifically designed to actually withstand the incredible forces you can
exert when chewing on your back teeth.
In order to bond a filling material to your tooth it
is first necessary to remove decay, prepare the tooth and then to condition the
enamel and dentin. Once conditioned, a thin resin is applied which bonds to the
etched surface. The bond strength of these fillings is incredible. Today we can
bond plastics and even amalgam (silver fillings) to your teeth. Bonding
increases the strength of these restorations far beyond those of only a short
time ago.
After placement, composites are hardened by shining an
intense light on them for a specified period of time, usually around 40 seconds.
Since we tend to look at this light all the time ( many times a day) it is
necessary for us to protect our eyes from it with an orange shield. It is not
necessary for us to protect your eyes since you look at this light only once in
a while. However, it is probably a good idea for you not to look directly into
the light anyway.
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